Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a versatile perennial that can provide many benefits to your landscape. Yarrow is a great companion plant to have in a vegetable garden and it attracts pollinators. Ladybugs seem to be particularly drawn to yarrow which can be beneficial for combatting aphids.
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Know Your Plant Family
Yarrow is part of the asteraceae family also known as the daisy family. The aster family contains hundreds of varieties of lettuces, dandelions, and sunflowers. Like the dandelion, yarrow can grow in a wide variety of conditions.
Yarrow’s Growing Conditions
Yarrow is a perennial plant that will germinate easily from seed and once established it will self-sow readily. This plant is adaptable to about any growing condition. It tends to thrive in well drained soil with an acidic pH, but it can adapt. In fact, because of its ability to grow so well some areas consider this an invasive weed.
If you are looking to use yarrow for medicinal purposes, you want to look for wild white yarrow. There are a wide variety of cultivars that have been developed in colors such as red, pink, orange and yellow.
It can handle being transplanted so if you see some in a neighbor’s yard ask to take some. Yarrow can function as a green manure helping to return nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, copper, and calcium to the soil.
Using yarrow as a companion plant it will do well near herbs like rosemary, basil, lavender, thyme, and oregano. There are fellow plants in the aster family that need space so avoid planting it near aster, bee balm, purple coneflower and butterfly weed. The thick leaves can provide to much shade for sun loving plants.
Because yarrow uptakes many nutrients it is a beneficial plant to add to a compost pile. Some believe that it can help speed the break down of other plants and it will add sulfur, potassium, phosphates, nitrates, and other beneficial nutrients back to the soil.
Using Yarrow
Yarrow is most known for its medicinal uses, due to its ability to grow wherever it can be found in folklore and medicinal stories of many native cultures. It may be one of the most used medicinal plants in the world.
Yarrow is nicknamed a “cure-all” for the wide variety of medicinal properties it has, it is wonderful for healing skin conditions, can stop bleeding and reduce inflammation. Consider making an infused oil to add to your first aid kit. Herbalists also use it for its sedative ability to help relieve anxiety. These are just a few of the many uses for yarrow.
I used yarrow for its styptic property more times than I care to admit. Styptic means that it will stop bleeding. More than a few times I have cut my fingers or hand working in the garden, it is a blessing to have some within easy reach to make a quick poultice to stop the bleeding, relieve the pain and be able to get back to work.
Yarrow can be eaten, but it has a bitter taste which is why you don’t see people suggesting it often. The bitter taste is an indication that it is good for the digestive system helping to get the stomach juices flowing.
Consider adding a few leaves to a salad or soup. The flowers and leaf can also be combined with other plants like peppermint to create a tea.
Among the harebells and the grass,
The grass all feathery with seed,
I dream, and see the people: pass
They pay me little heed.
And yet the children (so I think)
In spite of other flowers more dear,
Would miss my clusters white and pink,
If I should disappear
-Cicely Mary Barker
History
Yarrow has an interesting history regarding its name. Achillea is believed to come from the warrior Achilles who used the plant extract to treat soldiers after the battle of Troy. The species millefolium means “thousand leafed” which is a perfect description for the leaves.
In Gabriel Mojay’s book Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit he shares that yarrow is often referred to as “soldier’s woundwort,” “staunchgrass” and “carpenter’s weed.” It was a dependable vulnerary used through out history to heal Knights of the Crusades and by carpenters for chisel cuts.
I recently stumbled across this fun story you can share with children to get them interested in the plants around us.
Get out in the yard and explore, you never know what amazing plants (weeds) may be growing in your yard.
What is your favorite weed?
